Dealing with retirement-finding a new purpose

April 11, 2016

Keep in mind that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was the top executive of the old Gateway Computer company. When he first ran, he billed himself as knowing how to run a big organization like the state of Michigan.

Then along came the Flint water crisis where he's accused of killing children and poisoning the city of Flint.

Today, he said his staff lied to him about what was happening in Flint. In the Detroit Free Press, he talks about how he was misled by his executive staff. This is worth a read. Without getting all partisan, what should we learn from this?

February 25, 2016

Today is the day after a big snow storm in Michigan. We got near a foot of snow here in Michigan's State Capital City. Very little is moving in our neighborhood. It was time to pull out my Hondasnowblower which had a few challenging moments pushing through the wet stuff.

I wonder how many Michigan snowbirds in Florida really miss the snow, the ice and the power outages.

February 24, 2016

There was no snow yesterday when we walked at Hawk Island. That's changing in the next couple of hours, forecasters say.

Is today's snow warning here in Lansing, just another weather false alarm? Forecasters say this is going to bring up to a foot of snow. We've checked our pantry, our fridge, our car's in the garage, have wood for the fireplace and have a few DVD's picked out. My snowblower is accessible and I have plenty of gas. We are ready.

February 03, 2016

This picture was taken the day Gov. John Engler signed the bill raising Michigan's speed limit to 70. I worked for the bill''s sponsor (right) Sen. Doug Carl of Macomb County. I don't remember the date, but I had hair (left).

The state of Michigan seems to be on the cusp of raising its speed limit from 70 to 75/80. Did you know that? And have you thought about what effect this will have on driving our state's freeways? The number of people killed on our roads far outstrips those killed in any other form of violence.

I remember the last raise of the speed limit vividly because I worked as the legislative director for the bill's sponsor, Sen. Doug Carl of Macomb County. He became convicted of the need because of his daily drive between Lansing and his home north of Detroit.

The bill went through two committees with hearings, but I never saw the everyday driver share many of their views about driving faster. With social media and somebody who could facilitate that discussion, I wonder if that would change. Would there be more reaction?

Is this the time to raise the speed limit even higher? How many lives will be lost because of the change? How well is the speed limit being enforced now?

December 15, 2014

I'm stunned by the lack of reaction from Lansing-area churches about the real possibility that a statute to Satan will be erected on the front lawn of the State Capitol next week as part of the Christmas celebration.

As reported today in the Lansing State Journal, satanists in Michigan will erect a statute of Satan next week for several days as their way of celebrating Christmas. There will be no Nativity scene. This is because, according to the story, no Christian church has stepped forward to put one up and take it down everyday. Did anybody know about it?

There has to be boundaries to what is allowed for the celebration of one of the most sacred days of the year for Christians. Honoring the author of sin and all the vileness of this world is not one of them. We have war, murders, hunger, poverty, racism, domestic violence and all other forms of trouble because of him.

I'm offended that this is even a possibility at the hub for state government in this state.

Churches need to step up. We can't allow Jesus to be taken out of Christmas, especially in Lansing and in this state. We place ourselves in the bullseye for more of Satan's handiwork if we don't act.

December 01, 2014

My son and I noticed the difference in the number of shoppers on Black Friday at the Best Buy on the westside of Lansing. There were some great prices and there were plenty of items left on the shelves and in the aisles.

It was easy to get around the store. The line at the cash registers was not long. This is a contrast to past experiences where Black Friday was a cultural experience. People jammed the store and the line at the checkouts wrapped around the store.

My son Justin looks at a tablet at the local Best Buy.

Apparently, it was the same experience around the country with Black Friday sales being down. Here's what the New York Times said this morning:

Sales, both in stores and online, from Thanksgiving through the weekend were estimated to have dropped 11 percent, to $50.9 billion, from $57.4 billion last year, according to preliminary survey results released Sunday by the National Retail Federation. Sales fell despite many stores’ opening earlier than ever on Thanksgiving Day.

November 30, 2014

Here's a video clip of what it looked like in our front yard exactly three years ago. It does snow here in mid-Michigan in November and this is proof. This is for out-of-state family members who have been asking.

April 14, 2014

I think my wife and I are going to go to a Good Friday service this year to recognize the death of Jesus on the cross more than 2,000 years ago. It's an important occasion and it's one that's too easily left by the side of the calendar.

If my grandkids and I were sitting in the coffeeshop eating scones and drinking espresso and they asked me about how I celebrated Good Friday as a young boy, I'd have to tell them about the services at the Empire Theater in Bay City which were sponsored by local Lutheran Churches.

The services were held around noon time and were at one of the nicest places in our small city on the side of the Saginaw River. Hundreds would attend. One of the local pastors would give a sermon where the Good Friday story would be told. There must have been choir music, but I don't remember it.

When it was over, I remember walking out of the theater onto Washington Street and everything would be quiet on the busiest street in town. Stores had shutdown as part of the observance.

March 13, 2014

Our winters the past several years have been comparitively tame, compared to the one we've had this year. It's the middle of March and here in the State Capital city of Michigan, it's brutally cold and there's lots of snow on the ground. Here's how it looked this morning from our front door.

December 29, 2013

My wife and I took this picture of the traffic light on West Grand River Avenue just outside of Lansing and just off of I-96 when we got done with lunch at Denny's Restaurant. It's still not functional after the ice storm which hit eight days ago.

It should be noted that this is a major thoroughfare for semi-truck and for travelers on the interstate. This is just a FYI for those in charge of repairing storm damage. It has to be a hazard for the travelling public. Check the picture which was taken about 2 p.m. this afternoon with my iPhone.

This is the traffic light right at the intersection of I-96 and West Grand River Avenue.

December 28, 2013

Do you feel that the Lansing Board of Water & Light has been sufficiently open during its response to the mid-Michigan ice storm which we are recovering from right now?

The perception of many, including myself, is that our local utility suffers from a transparency problem. Their guarded comments and poor communication has led people to believe that they are getting sub-par treatment in getting their power turned back on.

How do you change that? You build real trust by being completely transparent. That means being open and honest when things are not positive and where expectations have not been met and where mis-judgements have been made.

On my social media blog which I use for testing and for recording what I've learned, I link to a company that practices those values. They are open about everything. It's bufferapp.com Check it out. Can local units of government be encouraged or strongly nudged to follow similar values? Is it worth a try?

November 12, 2013

Check the price for a gallon of gas at this station. That's really cheap for our region.

While super-wife is meeting with a new student teacher at one of the local schools, I'm using the wi-fi at the local McDonalds here in Belding, Michigan about 55 miles northwest of our State Capital city of Lansing.

Gas is getting cheaper in our city, but it hasn't gotten below the $3.00 a gallon mark. What are other drivers paying in Michigan and around the country. This is really cheap for our region.

July 06, 2013

I will think about this MSU study on handwashing as reported in the Wall Street Journal when we have supper tonight at Culvers before we go to church. The "john" there is small and it's uncomfortable when two or three guys try to use it.

Keep in mind that researchers were actually in the rest room watching people wash their hands. And this all happened in East Lansing, a college town.

What does all this mean? Does it result in more sicknesses being passed around? What's the right way to wash your hands.

The story says:

The results were discouraging: One in 10 didn't wash their hands at all; just two in three used soap; and just one in 20 washed their hands for at least 15 seconds, which is five seconds shy of recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

January 09, 2013

This is part of my effort to stay informed about what's happening in my city, state and around the country. I know that I need to be aware of what's happening in the world. It seems like there's an over abundance of information. Nevertheless, here's an item from my reading this morning:

Detroit Free Press story about the Detroit Works Long-Term Planning report which looks at how the city can be reshaped to make it more livable.

It involves the resettlement of wide-areas of people and the creation of farms and orchards inside the city. A total redesign is the target to deal with the vast stretches of the city that are vacant. It aimes to provide a way to make the city more manageable.

Are there other cities that have undergone the same kind of transformation? In this country and outside? How do the residents of the area react? How long does it take?

August 09, 2012

I really thought I could fix the pvc pipe that became disconnected from the trap underneath my sink. I have absolutely no-confidence in myself as a do-it-yourselfer. But, we needed to use the sink and it looked as simple as sticking the two pieces back-together.

My background includes nothing of this sort. I had no dad around to show me and my uncles, well, they had their own kids. I felt left behind with that kind of thing.

Kept coming apart

When I emptied out the cupboard beneath the sink, I crawled under. I looked at each piece and tried to size up the situation. It didn't seem complicated. I kept asking myself what I'm missing. I would join the two pieces and they would come apart again. Keep in mind that they had been joined together for the more than ten years we had lived there.

I used every neuron in my brain that had been developing over six decades. The two would not stick together. I've tried home repairs before and I seemed to have a similar outcome.

You are stupid

That's when the tapes started playing in my head. I could hear them plainly. "You're stupid. You're a shithead. I'm an asshole. This shit should be simple and I can't even do that."

Then I started to vocalize my feelings about what I tried and failed at. The air started to turn blue.

The problem was that my son was in the living room and he heard me. This added to my personal humiliation over something that anybody should be able to do. I made myself look smaller in my grown son's eyes.

I'm sure he doesn't know how to do it either. I never showed him because I never learned. He has a pretty good self-concept though and he knows where his strengths are.

He loves me, I know, regardless of whether I can hook two pipes together. He's a great guy who loves unconditionally.

There's a lesson here

A lesson for all the do-it-yourself guys and dads out there: Pass it on to your sons and other young guys. What a great project for guys in a church. In my church where I went every Sunday with my mom, I don't think the adult guys even knew my name.

For my grandson, learn everything you can from your dad and your other grandfather. Make use of their knowledge. I know they want to share it.

July 08, 2012

That's me on the left carrying Walt's banner in the July 4th parade in Lansing.

Somebody on Facebook expressed surprise that a conservative like me would support a liberal like Walt Sorg for the Michigan House of Representatives in the 67th District.

First, I can't actually vote for Walt because he's not in my district, but I would if he was. Next, let me be completely open about my relationship with him. I've known him for at least four decades give or take a couple of years.

We have worked together as reporters and on the staff of the Michigan Legislature. We have socialized and we have helped each other when necessary. I have seen his ups and downs and he has seen mine.

He knows how to govern and he knows that you need people from the other side to do it. He listens and he reacts and it's not some phony exercise to create the illusion of communication. If he disagrees, he'll let you know and he's open for continued conversation.

Walt is open and transparent. He hasn't tried to hide that he has had bad knees or that he has struggled in keeping his weight down. He's had financial and health challenges. He's a real person.

He was there when I needed help cutting a tree down and he was there when I needed a place to stay when I found myself homeless for a week.

What about the philosophical differences? What are labels worth anymore. Mitt Romney calls himself a conservative and he was the father of the health plan in his state that President Obama used as a template nationally. Romney says Obamacare is wrong, but it's the same as Romneycare on the state level.

Relationships are key in politics and I don't even no who's running on the Republican side in the 67th District. I've seen Walt at every community function I've been at. He's listening and he's talking.